Laundry treating appliances, such as washing machines, clothes dryers, refreshers, and non-aqueous systems, can have a configuration based on a rotating container that at least partially defines a treating chamber in which laundry items are placed for treating. Traditionally, in a vertical axis washing machine, the container is a perforated basket with perforations provided along the full height of the basket, which is located within an imperforate tub, with both the basket and tub typically having an upper opening at their respective ends. The tub surrounds the basket and generally has a height as tall as or taller than the basket to catch water exiting the perforations of the basket for the full height of the basket. During a wash or rinse cycle, water is able to flow freely through the perforations of the basket, requiring the volume of the wash or rinse water to be sufficient not only to fill the basket to a predetermined level with liquid, but also to fill the imperforate tub to the same predetermined level with liquid. Thus, even with small laundry loads, the volume of water required during a wash or rinse cycle must be greater than what would be required just to fill the basket to the predetermined level if water were not able to flow out of the basket through the perforations.